Protect Yourself! by DL Larson

As a writer, I've committed to going out into the public, talking about my books, shaking hands with folks, taking money from them and overall putting my health at risk for whatever germs may be lurking close by.

To help combat those germs from taking up residence in my body, I get a flu shot every fall. Today is the day. I will exchange $30 for the serum that will help keep me healthy this winter. The virus is dead and the injection mostly painless, and waiting in line is a small inconvenience for staying healthy.

My doctor has suggested I get the N1H1 vacine as well, as long as it is a dead virus. That is not yet available in my area, but I plan to take his advice. I know how devastating swine flu can be; when my grandmother was twenty-two, she caught swine flu. It crippled her. The influenza ravished her body til her hips locked in position and the joints melted together. My father still has the x-rays taken all those years ago. She learned to walk again using her back and knees, a miracle that big shot Chicago doctors of the time wanted to see. She also had three other children, my father one of them.

My grandma was a determined and courageous woman and if she was alive today, I'm sure she would be calling each of her grandchildren and reminding them to get their flu shots.

My appointment is for eleven o'clock this morning. How about you? Do you think flu shots are a good thing? Have you taken the steps to protect your family? Your parents? What are your plans for the flu season?

Share with us.

Til next time ~

DL Larson